Improved railway cattle-guard



o f Q sinned? 5ta-tnt spo DAVID B. SHIRK, OF BRUNNERVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA. l I l Letters Patent No. $3,556, dated October 27, 1868`.

IMPROVED RAILWAY CATTLE-GUARD.

The Schedule referred to in these Lettera Patent and making part of the saime.

`To all rwhofnt 1'itmay concern:

Operating Cattle-Guards or Railroad-Gates at crossings; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and correct description of the construction and operation of the same,` reference being had to thel aecoinpz'mying drawings, making a part of this spe-cication, in which-f l Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improvement, in place. y

Figure 2 shows the double crank-shaft, pickets, and appended weight.

Figure 3, a perspective' view of the same, to show the inclination of the cranks in opposite directions on the top of the shaft. p

Figure 4 shows the hinged side-lever, with its open jaw, for the reception ofthe crank.

The nature of my invention consists in providing a double crank-shaft, the cranks so inclined from the centre as to be readily depressed, by means of hinged levers, on the inside of the rails, placed in a reversed position, in such a Vmanner as to beacted upon by the flange of the wheels; the crank-shaft being also weighted,and provided with. pickets, to form the gate or barrier.

'lo enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will describe the same by reference to the drawings, which clearly illustrate the double crankshaft, with the crank c inclined, say, thirty degrees to the left, and crank c inclined thirty degrees to the right, from a central line on the top ofthe shaft. This shaft has its bearings in side pieces B, between the crossfties 2 3, and is provided with pickets P on top, to form the gate, and a weighty cylinder, '10, below to keep the pickets in a vertical position. 0n the inside of each rail, R, there is a lever, L, hinged at the remote end from the crank at H to a block, or otherwise, on the cross-tie. This necessarily reverses their position, and each is actuated by the flange of the wheels, and will tilt the gate in the direction ofthe moving ear. To effect this tilting-operation, the loose end ofthe lever L is provided with open jaws, J', in which the crank plays freely, and, being inclined in the direction it is to tilt, will readily do so by thc depression of the levers by the flanges ofthe wheels aforesaid, andy thereby prostrate the gate, and keep it in that position until the last truck has passed over it, when the pending weight, w, will restore the gate to a vertical position, without the intervention of springs and complicated side levers, making it a very simple and efficient arrangement forthe purpose.

I am aware that Moses Hall, jr., claims a cattleguard, with its cross-shaft below the rails, and operated by springs placed on the inside of the rails, similar in position to my levers, which are depressed byf the car-wheels, and tilt a gate. But I disclaim the use of springs, whether coiled and operated by a tilting-bar or otherwise.

I am aware, also, that A. C. Goodman and H. Fessler, in their patent of December 3, 1867, use a weight, appended to the outer ends'of a gate, said wei fhts being connected by lever-arms, actuated in the cen re ofthe track. Such an `arrangement I also disclaim.

Fully aware of other analogous devices, I am not aware of any arrangement in which cranks and a hinged lever are employed, operating substantially in the manner specified.

That I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

'lhe arrangement of the crank c c, when not in the same plane, on the top of a shaft, which shaft is provided with pickets P, and a central weight, fw, ap-

pended below, and when operated bya hinged lever, L, with its open jaws J, the lever being pivoted at one end, all combined and operating substantially in the manner and for the purpose specified.

DAVID B. SHIRK. Witnesses FRANCIS W. CHRIST, NAsHE S. WOLLE. 

